Learning to love the rain

I have never really been a big rain person. I mean, I do enjoy red rain boots, I love Seattle + I’ve always been a sucker for a kissy rainy movie scene, but when it comes down to literally choosing rain outside or dry inside: inside ALWAYS trumps. A fireplace, a good book, a cute movie + some fuzzy snuggles with the boys? Sign me up. Why would I ever go outside? HA! Soggy socks, or boots, or hair, or muddy car mats, or the way it leaves me with goosebumps for hours after it’s all dried up. Why would I do that to myself? I know I sound ridiculous. 

Last week it rained A LOT. One morning when Rigg was taking his nap, Jonah opened a new tin of Pringles + accidentally spilled them out the other end while I was putting away the vacuum from the goldfish.  I won’t list the rest of the moments that used up all of my patience that morning, because to be honest, I don’t even remember all of them. I just distinctly remember the Pringle escapade + know that that was the last straw. Directly to the rain we went. We couldn’t stay inside for one more minute. I was crying, but we opened the garage, looked the rain right in the face + didn’t turn back. No shoes = no soggy anything. Problem solved! We played pass with our tennis racquets, stomped the mud + we took turns running out from the garage to see who could last the longest with their eyes closed. We let go. I LET GO. I sobbed. I laughed. I told Jonah I loved him over + over. He was loving life + not sure what to think all at the same time. I can’t tell you how good this half hour of rain playing was for my soul. I wrote my feelings in Jonah’s journal the minute Jon got home from work, but I wanted to touch about them on here too.

“Are you happy mom?”
“I am happy Jonah! Are you happy?”
“Let me see your smile face.”

I couldn’t have distinguish laughing from crying nor raining from tired-mom deliriousness if I had tried, but I do know one thing for certain, I need my boys just as much or more than they need me. Being a mother is no easy ball game. If I don’t have my focus pointed in the right direction, everything seems much harder than it should be. Why do I hate the rain? Because it inconveniences me + makes me cold. That’s the honest embarassing truth. When I finally opened my eyes (or Jonah snapped the last straw), I realized what the rain hype was all about. I had one of those no picture could ever do justice for the way I felt inside moments this day. It was so special for me. I think that this was as heartwarming as it was for me because I put his needs before my own. Before my clean floor + my new socks. We just went without shoes + problem was solved. 🙂 I’m grateful for the reminder to find joy in the simple things. We can overcome our negative feelings by disconnecting our insecurities from our fears + learning to love things that we don’t naturally love. It is possible. It’s always possible. This is something that my mom taught me my whole life. The rain opened my eyes in a new light + I hope to be able to teach my own children the same thing. I’m also 100% completely convinced that I’m learning more from my boys than they will ever learn from me. xx

JONAH: SHIRT | GREY BOTTOMS | MINNETONKA MOCCS | BEANIE 
RIGG: SKINNY JEANS (similar here + here) | SWEATSHIRT | KICKS